About a month ago, I put out the call for submissions for uncircumcised men to send in photos of their uncut penis. Sure, I got lots of teasing on Twitter, but I was diligent in my self-prescribed duty to look through lots of penis photos to create the collages below.

The purpose of the collage is to normalize the uncut penis in an effort to end routine circumcision. Men who were circumcised as infants face a number of medical issues from pain in the penis to sexual dysfunction and loss of sensation, not to mention the women who often endure painful friction sex with cut men. These uncut men also suffer social ridicule for looking “different,” or “nasty” or “not normal,” when in fact, the intact penis IS what is normal — the circumcised penis is what is NOT normal.

Circumcision is a barbaric, unnecessary procedure of sexual assault on a child and a gross violation of that child’s basic human right to be left whole, particularly in America where routine circumcision is so prevalent. What’s worse is that adult circumcision has been touted as preventing transmission of AIDS and/or HIV, and that is not true. Circumcision is blatant sexual assault carrying a Bible and wrapped in a flag — to paraphrase Sinclair Lewis’ definition of fascism.

For the collage, the men who submitted pics took photos with their phone or laptop camera. (Maybe in the future, we can do a pro photo shoot — with me supervising! YUM.) There is even a photo of a restored foreskin! Can you tell which one? (Hint: the pic is in Photo #1.)

Below, you can see the wonderful variations in the penises’ shapes in the shaft, head, curvature, and coloration. You will also notice how the skin covers the glans/head differently on different men and in various states of arousal. I particularly love how the foreskin covers and even extends beyond the tip like it’s the wrapping on a present — a present for me to open… Just sayin’.

In photo #3 of the erect penises, you can see how the foreskin slides back, creating the ridged band on the anterior of the penis and the frenular delta (triangle of attached skin) on the underside of the penis head.

To join the anti-circumcision discussion leave a comment below. Also, if you’re on Twitter, use the hastags, #i2, #nocirc, and #circumchat, and use #4skin for talking about foreskin restoration.

All photo collages are Copyright 2012 by ArousedWoman.com which is owned by Trish Causey. If you post these photos on your own blog or social media page, do not remove the copyright notice (which I have embedded on every penis) and please provide a link in the Reply box below so I can see. :-)

And YES, I hope to do more collages, not only on the penis, but the testicles, and to celebrate the differences in women’s vulvas, clits, and breasts. As my mantra goes, “The human body is beautiful. Sex is beautiful. Orgasm is natural. Reject any dogma that shames what is beautiful and natural.”

Routine circumcision is the single most controversial topic in USA paediatric medicine. It is also a major way in which sex in America differs from sex in all other advanced countries except Israel and South Korea. It is also one of the most shameful and ignorant aspects of sex in America. I grew surrounded by an ocean of circumcised men. Before going to college, I saw all of 5-6 intact boys and men in locker rooms and rest rooms. But I never heard a joke or lewd remark about the foreskin or it removal. And the boys of my youth often had swaggering filthy mouths! I have concluded that most baby boom men were cut in the maternity ward without the mother being involved in the decision. Routine infant circumcision was mostly a fait accompli. Parents did not know what to say and so said nothing to their boys. Illustrations in health and sex ed texts depicted the human penis as having no foreskin. When the family pages in American newspapers began to talk about circumcision, in the 1980s, they often had to explain what the foreskin is. To this day, tens of millions of adult Americans have never seen a foreskin in the flesh. Millions more know what a natural penis looks like only thanks to explicit imagery on the internet. Europeans find this impossibly weird. Weirdest of all is the refusal of a majority of American doctors who perform infant circumcisions, to use effective local anesthesia.

The foreign born (that’s true of me)
West of Salt Lake City, but not Hawaii.
Latinos. Other descendants of post WWII immigrants.
Native Americans born on reservations.
Certain hyphenated communities in New York and Chicago, both cities having curiously low infant circumcision rates. Polish-Americans in Chicago, Italian-Americans in New York.
French Canadians and Newfoundlanders. Most (but not all) men under 30 from almost anywhere in Canada or Australia.

The British Isles.

The English speaking people most immune to routine circumcision have been the Irish.

This is wonderful! As a mother of a WHOLE boy I deeply thank you for your work. I have heard many mothers worry that their sons will be sexually unappealing as uncut men, and that seems to have some gravity as a pro-circ argument, which breaks my heart. These penises are beautiful and I hope that the women and men who view them will cease to foster the foolish assumption that uncut men are unclean or unattractive! Thanks again.

If you read the story I relayed on the Submissions post, the very idea that a 24 year-old guy would consider circumcision at his age because of being ridiculed is absolutely heinous to me — that society is so twisted in its stupid rituals that are not religious but just routine at this point, is simply crazy.

These men were wonderfully accommodating in sharing their beautiful bodies. Likewise, we can’t shame the CUT guys because they were mutilated — they didn’t have a voice — which is why it is important for people like us to speak up and share this info.

I don’t know how I missed your call for submissions on Facebook… I will happily provide another model to support your promotion of the whole penis, if you have need of another. I think the only thing detracting from your work is the quality of the photographs. Keep up the good work! Infant circumcision is a human rights violation and should have been abolished in 1995 when Female Genital Mutilation was universally banned.

Actually, I didn’t post it on Facebook because I’ve been more on Twitter — with the POTUS election and the War on Women, et al. Also because of the nature of my work, I didn’t want to get banned from FB because I still use it for my day job, which is covering Broadway theatre. :-)

I would LOVE to do a professionally shot series of pics, but I’m grateful the men offered these photos. Now that we have this first set of collages out, men will know what I’m looking for and I think the next series will be even better! Feel free to send me any pics of yourself. Just read the submissions criteria, and email me at ArousedWoman (at) gmail (dot) com. I’ll keep them in my stash.

And there’s the AW Forum, too, if you’d like to join us in a little rant every now and then.

Trish… I had NO idea that you were an intactivist!! We have met a few times in the theatre community years ago when my sister and I were big into it. You know Kaylyn better than you know me, Kaylyn, Taylor, Leanne, and Teresa =) I have a 2 year old (tomorrow on the 8th) son who was circumcised =( Why we did it…..I couldnt even tell you. Not because he needed to “look like daddy” cause daddy is NOT cut! I was one of the mothers who left the decision up to my husband because “I did not have a penis.” He asked around at work and to friends whether or not their sons where done and we just did it… my DEEPEST regret as his mother as I feel I failed him in the WORST possible way! Needless to say I found resourses like The Whole Network, Saving Our Sons, Intact America: to name a few and found out the TRUTH about circumcision. I knew deep down in my gut I was doing something wrong and didnt listen until we got home after the procedure and saw the bloody MUTILATED mess in my sons diaper. ( I am balling just typing this) He has since had the skin “grow back” if you would. He had fluid build up around his penis on the incision site which we had to have drained every other day and once it finally stopped filling up it left a HORRIBLE and qutie large scar as his forskin. I am reminded of this mistake everytime I change his diaper and the only thing I can do is pray everyday that when he can understand what happened that he can forgive me for what was done and what was taken from him. He may not remember what happened but I will ALWAYS remember and I tell him everyday how sorry Mommy is for hurting him when he is lying asleep in my chest. I just needed 1 just ONE person to tell me that it was wrong and to research it then my son would not have been cut.

Thank you for speaking out against this mutilating and barbaric practice
Sincerly, Taryn

Dear Taryn,
Do not fret, what’s done is done, please do not dwell on his circumcision as he grows up as he may begin to think he is less of a man because of it.
He will be fine.
Many circumcised men have gone on to enjoy a full and happy life and those who haven’t probably don’t have the lack of a foreskin to blame.
I have been the owner of a circumcised penis for over 45 years and have never really considered myself handicapped by the loss of that little piece of skin.
Circumcision is no longer routinely practised in Australia these days and not that I’ve had any children, I believe that some doctors are reticent to perform a circumcision shortly after birth even for medical reasons, so I guess we’re leading America in something. Yay!
This culture in America of guys comparing their penises I don’t think extends to this country either, but I was no sporting hero or “Jock” as you refer to such types so I didn’t hang around the locker rooms looking at other boys dicks.
If you sons circumcision remains your deepest regret I think he will grow up to be a wonderful man.
All the best,
Pete

Please feel free to edit my response Trish, as you know, I’m just the average bloke, I wont be offended if you think it needs tidying up. Thanks.

While I agree that a goodly fraction of circumcised men have fine adult sex lives, especially before age 40 or 50, some men do feel damaged. There are women who climax easily with an intact man, and seldom with a cut man.

What you call a “little piece of skin” is in fact the Ground Zero of male sexual sensation. Circumcision ablates the bits of the male body that are richest in nerves. The way the foreskin moves during sexual activity subtly colours the entire sexual experience of a man and his partner.

Only 10-15% of Australian baby boys are done nowadays, mainly in specialist surgeries in the large cities.Here in New Zealand, the Crown stopped reimbursing the cost in 1969 and the practice stopped a generation ago. Australasian common sense 1, America 0!

Of course, I remember you, Taryn! :-) It’s SO GOOD to hear from you! :-)

First, you can’t blame yourself because you were not given proper information about the dangers of circumcision or that we live in a society still governed by Puritanical religion that seeks to destroy sexuality to this very day. One of the main reasons circ is prescribed in the Abrahamic religions is to numb the genitals and make sex less pleasurable. Which is AWFUL since every human being has a right to happiness… even in our secular society, I think I remember reading that somewhere… we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of… something… :-P

Second, as he gets older, look into options about restoring the foreskin. It’s not a perfect science nor will it “put back” the 15,000-20,000 nerve endings that were severed. BUT foreskin restoration DOES seem to improve the texture of the scar tissue (so his future partners won’t have to suffer painful sex, or bleeding, etc.) and the stretched skin will protect the glans so that it doesn’t become so desensitized (which leads to men having to have hard, friction sex to ejac, which can be very painful or just annoying for the woman).

I HOPE you will join the AW Forum so we can talk about this more. I have a Discussion area just on circumcision — and other human rights and sexuality topics as well: ArousedWoman Forum.

PLEASE feel free to comment on anything you find here on the blog, and I super hope you’ll join the Forum!

AROUSEDWOMAN

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BIO

"Arouse" means "to stir to action or response; to awaken." An ActivistArtist(TM), Trish Causey has dedicated her life to changing the world for the better through activism. On ArousedWoman.com and ArousedWomanBlog.com, Trish is proud to debunk myths, stereotypes, and misogynist misinformation about women in society and religion, the female body, female sexuality, and the orgasmic process in both women and men. A professional freelance writer and proud owner of a vagina, Trish Causey is an award-winning composer/writer and successful radio show host. Revel in Trishtopia by following her @AnArousedWoman.

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